Grand piano action



Sept5,1939. AHMORSE EAL 2,172,253

GRAND PIANO ACTI ON Filed June 24, 1937 mediately pivoted key 2.

Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES GRAND) PIAN()k ACTION Arthur H.Morse and Edward J. Schneider, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to TheBaldwin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio Application June 24, 1937, Serial No.150,190

5 Claims.

Our invention has reference to grand piano actions.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an action which willoccupy less depth than the conventional action, thus permitting the caseof the grand piano to be of less vertical compass.

Another object is to achieve the aforesaid object without complicatedmechanism and to provide an action which is similar to and can beadjusted by anyone acquainted with the conventional type of grand pianoaction.

Brieiiy, our invention contemplates the following:

(1) I'he divorcing of the back-check an-d the damper lever from the key,these parts to be operated by a wippen-actuated lever at the rear of thewippen.

(2) The use of a key whose extension behind the balance rail shall beless than usual, so as to terminate in front of the rear action rail(often called the wippen rail). v

(3) The lowering of the wippen rail into the space effected by theprovisions (1) and (2), and the suspension of this rail from the underside of the action brackets.

(4) The removal of the capstan block from the under side of the wippenand a reduction in the vertical compass of the rear part of the key.

(5) The provision of special means for removing lost motion between thekey and the hammer.

(6) The support of the wippen-actuated lever of (l) on horizontalflanges attached to a lower part of the wippen rail.

For a disclosure in greater detail of our invention, we refer to thefollowing parts of this specification and the drawing which form a parthereof. In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side view of one modification of the grand piano action ofour invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of another modification.

With reference to Figure 1, a grand piano keybed I sup-ports a keyboardon which is an inter- Above the rear part of the key 2 is a ratherconventional grand piano action 3. It will be noted that the capstanblock of the wippen 4 of the action has been removed and that the rearpart of the key 2 has been reduced in vertical dimension by removingmaterial from its upper surface. These operations permit of the loweringof the action 3, in coordination however with the following: the rearpart of the key is shortened so as to extend less rearwardly than usual,this part of the key now carrying only a capstan screw 5 instead of thecapstan screw and back check of the conventional grand piano key. Thewippen rail 6 of the action 3 may then be lowered into the space createdby the shortening of the key 2, and suspended from the yunder side ofthe action bracket so as to be located, as shown, just to the rear ofthe key and substantially on a level therewith.

In pursuance with the above the back-check 'I and damper mechanism 8 areoperated by a rearwardly extending lever 9 of the bell-crank type. Thislever is pivoted on a horizontally disposed ilange I screwed to theunder side of the rail 6 and is actuated by a rearward extension II ofthe wippen 4 carrying a downwardly directed metal spoon I2. The spoon I2contacts the Vertical member I3 of the lever 9. Supported on thehorizontal part of the lever 9 is the conventional back check 'I. Theextreme rear portion of lever 9 operates the damper mechanism 8.

Downward motion of the front part of the key 2 raises the rear part, thecapstan screw attacking the wippen 4 impelling it upward to operate theaction 3 and to produce a piano tone. With this, both the back-check 1and damper mechanism 8 are operated through the intermediary includingthe spoon I2 and lever 9.

With the reduction in height of the action it becomes inconvenient tooperate upon the capstan screw 5 from in front of the action. This screwis therefore extended below the key 2 and provided with a male headthereon. It is adjusted from underneath by removing the action from theinstrument, it being understood that the rear part of the keyframe maybe substantially open for this purpose.

The modification shown in Figure 2 permits of greater reduction inaction height than that of Figure 1. In this, the rear part of the key 2may be composed of a metal extension I4 of L- shaped cross-section, inthe compass of which the Wippen 4 may be situated. The extension I4 isattached to the Wood part of the key by rivets I5. The lever I 6,corresponding to the lever 9 of Figure l, is of the rst class andoperates substantially as does lever 9, from a rearward extension of thewippen. Lever I6 is pivoted on a horizontal flange I'I carried on ahorizontal plate I8 screwed to the wippen rail and forming a partthereof.

In the modification, Figure 2, the capstan screw I9 is regulatedvertically as is the screw 5 of Figure 1. In this, however, the screw I9is carried by the wippen and has an upward extension including a malehead. -It is adjusted from above through a slot-shaped hole 20 in therepetition lever.

It is seen that, according to our invention, any key 2 may be easilyremoved from the instrument, substantially as are conventional uprightpiano keys. This differs thus from the removal of conventional grandpiano keys which require an extreme bending of the back check wire forremoval.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. In a grand piano action, a key frame, an intermediately pivotedplaying key supported horizontally on said key frame, a bracket attachedto said key frame and extending upwardly therefrom, a rail attached tosaid bracket so as to be located immediately and entirely behind saidkey and substantially on a level therewith, a flange attached to theunder side of said rail and extending rearwardly therefrom, a leverpivoted intermediately on said flange and extending rearwardly andupwardly respectively therefrom, a second flange attached to said railand extending upwardly therefrom, a wippen pivoted intermediately onsaid second flange so as to extend forwardly therefrom over said key,said wippen having also a rearward extension off set downwardly andbearing against the upward extension of said lever, a back-check carriedon said lever for checking the back motion of the hammer of said actionand a damper mechanism operated by said lever whereby anaction mechanismof reduced height is provided in a grand piano and whereby a key may bereadily removed from the piano, solely by geometric displacement of thekey.

2. A piano action as in claim l, wherein the rear part of said key is ametal portion of L- shaped cross-section, said wippen being partlywithin the compass of said metal portion and carrying a regulating screwbearing downwardly against said metal portion for adjustably locating atleast said wippen with respect to said key.

3. The combination as claimed in claim l, including regulating meansbetween said key and said wippen for adjustably locating at least saidwippen with respect to said key.

4. In combination in a grand piano, a horizontally disposed,intermediately pivoted playing key, a rail located immediately andentirely behind said key and substantially on a level therewith, anaction located generally above said key, said action including a Wippenpivotally connected to said rail so as to be located above said rail andto extend forwardly-rearwardly therefrom, the forward extension of saidwippen overlying said key and the rearward extension of said wippenbeing offset downwardly, a lever pivoted behind said rail and extendingrearwardly and upwardly respectively from its pivot, the rearwardextension of said wippen bearing against the upward extension of saidlever, means carried on said lever for checking the return motion of thehammer of said action, and a. damper mechanism operated by said leverwhereby an action mechanism of reduced height is provided in a grandpiano and whereby a key may be readily removed from the piano, solely bygeometric displacement of the key.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 4, including regulating meansbetween said key and said wippen for adjustably locating at least saidwippen with respect to said key.

